Fourteen years have passed since the adoption of the Law “On Language” which played a decisive role in the changed attitude to the mother tongue as it has been clear today. Moreover, as the process taking place in the society shows, the attitude toward the Tajik language changed also on the part of national minorities living in Tajikistan. Tajik being granted the status of the state language was perceived precariously at first, but afterwards the very fact made people treat it more respectfully; the history and culture of the nation are looked upon now under a quite different angle as well. If we reminisce the middle of the previous century everything what happened in the sphere of the language testified to the approaching extinction of Tajik. The threat of its suppression to the end of the seventies was impending over the cities and towns of the republic in all its reality. Though the Tajik language survived it sustained a lot of alterations having lost completely its extra-linguistic importance. Actually it was Russian that played the role of a state language on the territory of Tajikistan. Tajik was losing its historic value, social and historic significance. The processes which were associated with perestroika in the USSR allowed a patriotically inclined part of Tajik intellectuals to speak about a necessity of adopting the Law on language which subsequently precluded the process of extinction and disappearance of the Tajik language. Historic facts and events proved that not always peoples could resist similar processes due to circumstances. In different periods of human civilization many nations and nationalities lost their language. However, we needn’t resort to remote examples. The history of the state we lived in quite recently testifies to it. In 1926 in the former USSR there were 194 nations; at the end of the 70-ies 101 nations remained. In other words, for the years of the USSR there disappeared the languages of over 40 national minorities, and over 50 ethnical ones. The policymaking aimed at a creation of the so-called unified “Soviet people” implied in its essence confusion of all nations and artificial formation of one people speaking one Russian language. However, this short-sighted pursuits failed. The collapse of the Great Empire factually saved all the remained languages of the USSR peoples from extinction, the Tajik language inclusive.
Today the Language Day became the all-national holiday for the citizens of Tajikistan. Now thanks to the Law “On Language” it is celebrated in the country engrafting intensively of transferring clerical work into the state language suspended in connection with the civil war now is speeding its turns again. However, it doesn’t mean at all that any other language should be infringed. Article two of the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan runs: “The state language of Tajikistan is Tajik. The Russian language is that one of communication between nations. All nations and nationalities residing on the territory of the republic have the right to use freely their mother tongue”. The adoption of the Law “On Language” and granting the state language status to Tajik pursue the goal of the retainment and strengthening of the historic and cultural roots of the Tajik language. There is no analogue to the Tajik language in history which in spite of multiple attacks and tendentious pressure was able not only to survive but to proceed with its evolution either.
The historic period of the formation and efflorescence of the Tajik language is that one pertaining the governance of the Samanids. After the collapse of their state the dynasties speaking Turkic languages which governed over the vast territory of Middle Asia - Gazievids, Karahanids, Ashtarhanids and Manghits - were compelled to acknowledge that Tajik was the language of science, culture, poetry and education and it should remain being the state language. It was stated in spite of the fact that the aggrieved Tajik people suffered more greatly form their invasion. It was just in those years that poets, writers, thinkers of the Orient created their world masterpieces in Tajik having glorified Central Asia.
Being the language of the state in the course of centuries Tajik at the same time served as a uniting factor for the population on the Orient which spoke it. It is this very factor that became the main source of strengthening regional historic-cultural ties. The main event which weakened the unifying force of the language took place in the XVI-the century. It was the accession to power of Turkic-speaking governors - those of the Safevids (1502-1736) in Iran and the Shaibanids (1500-1599) in Varorud. The Safevids announced Shiizm to be the official trend of the Islamic religion and the Shaibanids being Sunnites repudiated from them. Professor T. N. Khaskashev writes: “On the one hand, there were intentions to live at a distance from each other; on the other hand, assimilation of Tajik-speaking population with their governors in both regions accelerated the tempos of language separation which in the long run lessened a unifying force of the Tajik language”. The aftermath was perceived mostly among Varorud population. They enhanced in the course of the next two-three centuries, thereupon Varorud Tajiks suffered great cultural losses. It was just that time when the targeted campaign against the Tajik language commenced. In the years of territorial demarcations of Central Asian republics pan-Turkists who had studied chiefly in Turkey ignoring all historic values wanted to create a country in Central Asia named Great Turkistan. On this ground they managed “to conquer” big cultural and historic Tajik cities, such as Samarkand, Bukhara and others. To be just one should mention that the deceived representatives of the Tajik people helped them in it somehow. In spite of all the intrigues and triumph of pan-Turkic spirits in Central Asia Tajiks managed to create a republic of their own on the territory of Eastern Bukhara and the Ferghana Valley. Against this background in the span of August 28-September 3, 1930 the congress of linguists of Tajikistan was held in Dushanbe. The participants of the congress contemplated the problems concerned with alphabet, spelling, terminology of the Tajik language. The latter became a subject of political hearings once again. The enemies of the Tajik people taking advantage of the instability of the political situation promoted twice the change of the Tajik alphabet. First it was changed in 1927 and then in 1939. it was the most crucial blow not only upon the Tajik language but the Tajik civilization upon the whole. Frequent change of alphabet tore away the Tajik people from their millennia history and culture.
In spite of all these troubles Tajiks managed to preserve their language. The process of its reanimation began genuinely after gaining independence. July 22, 1989 when RT Law “On Language” was adopted is considered to be a counting point when there incepted a new stage of language development in the years of independence the Tajik language entered the international arena. Today our republic is acknowledged by over hundred states of the world. Correspondence with all these states and international organizations is carried out in Tajik as the state language. On the one hand, this fact reflects an unswervable growth of the prestige of the language; on the other hand, it obliges language bearers to treat their mother tongue with responsibility.
For the last fourteen years clerical work in many ministries and departments, enterprises and organizations is transferred into Tajik. During this time many social-political and scientific-technical terms were translated into mother-tongue. There were composed numerous glossaries in different branches the society uses. At the same time one should agree that many assignments are not solved in this streamline yet. We shan’t speak about fundamental goals. Sometimes we find the roughest mistakes in grammar, spelling, pronunciation and lexical norms of modern Tajik admitted in printed and electronic MM. This disease is spread among artistic intellectuals. In the given case we mean form and contents, especially style of expression in newspaper publications, tele-broadcasts and the books of young authors. Press itself writes about the these problems, they conduct debates in scientific circles. But negligent, disrespectful attitude to the language is going on. We mean, first of all the representatives of intellectuals. The question arises: if not intellectuals, who must observe and defend all the splendor of the Tajik language?
Excessive Arabization and especially a usage of dialectics in compositions disable a reader and a listener from understanding the language. It not only reduces the social significance of the language, but entails separation of our compatriots. Today the reality of our life obliges us not only to spare our mother tongue, but to care about its future either. In other words, the fate of our nation depends on preservation and versatile development of the Tajik language. Language is not only a means of communication, but a source of formation of national culture and civilization upon the whole. If to treat the present state of education, science and culture from this point of view we unwittingly become witnesses of complex phenomena. The social plight of teachers, doctors and intellectuals upon the whole leaves no one indifferent today. Today the system of education lacks 12 thousand teachers, many schools and pre-school institutions are in a deplorable state. The problem of modern manuals availability remains open. A poor logistic base accounts for a slow reform in the system of education. These and other variable problems hinder RT Law “On Language” effectuation. But the proverb runs: “Hope Dies the Last”. In order to completely reanimate and rehabilitate the Tajik language we need a multilateral state support, cohesion of our colleagues and society upon the whole.